Containers



Nov. 15, 1955 c. K. OXENFELD CONTAINERS Filed April 18, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l f y ""i;

FIG. 4.

FIG. 2.

INVENTOR.

,1 CHARLES K. OXENFELD 51/ -71 11 XXI/Lb. A71

Nov. 15, 1955 c. K. OXENFELD CONTAINERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 18, 1952 INVENTOR. CHARLES K. OXENFELD United States Patent CONTAINERS Charles K. Oxenfeld, St. Louis, Mo.

Application April 18, 1952, Serial No. 282,989

11 Claims. (Cl. 206-45.14)

should be protected from dust, dirt, and other damage during shipment and while in stock in the retail stores. In addition, it is highly desirable to package the doll in such a manner that it may be viewed through a relativelylarge transparent window so that the purchaser may readily'see the costume and other features of the doll. However, since dolls are fragile, most manufacturers consider it necessary to confine the doll in a relatively small container where it will betightly held at the risk of crushing and damaging the dolls clothing. Obviously, this method of packaging is unsatisfactory since the doll will not be prettily displayed even though a cellophane window is provided in the box and the dolls clothing will be wrinkled and crushed if the dollremains in the box for any appreciable period of time.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a doll container in which the doll is held firmly in place without interference with the clothing, while at the same time permitting full attractive display of the doll and its clothing.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a container with doll-holding means capable of retaining the doll within the container in a predetermined position without physically injuring the doll or interfering with the attractive display thereof.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide acontainer having doll-retaining means which are simple and economical and can be quickly engaged and disengaged from the doll as may be desired and necessary.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a container of the type stated which, can be collapsed into a flat compact unit for shipment and storage prior to actual use as a container and maybe quickly and readily set up for receiving the contents when desired.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.-

In the accompanying drawings-- Figure l is a perspective view of 'a doll container constructed in accordance with and embodying'the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a doll container showing a doll in operative position therein;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view of a doll container taken along line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the doll-retainer strip forming a part" of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Figure 2;

Figures 6 and 7- are perspective views of 'a'm'odified ice form of doll container constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of an interior corner of the modified form of doll container showing a detail of construction thereof;

Figures 9 and 10 are fragmentary sectional views taken along lines 99 and 1010, respectively, of Figure 8; and

Figure 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of the lower interior portion of the modified form of doll container showing the manner in which the doll is held in place within the container.

Referring now in more detail and by reference character to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention, A designates a rectangular cardboard box-bottom integrally comprising a flat bottom wall 1 and side walls 2, 3, 4, 5, respectively. Provided for disposition within the box-bottom A is a rectangular doll-retainer strip 6 having a longitudinally extending fold line 7 disposed in parallel relation to the longitudinal margins of the strip 6 and thereby dividing it into a flange-portion 8 and a flap-portion 9. The flange-portion 8 is of such dimension, both as to length and width, as to fit in snug marginal registration upon the inner face of the side wall 4 and is there held in place preferably by a series of staples 10, although it should be understood in this connection that glue or any other securement means may be employed with equal facility.

The flap-portion 9 lies flatwise against the lower portion of the bottom wall 1, as best seen in Figures 1 and 3, and is provided, midway between its transverse ends, with a pair of foot-receiving apertures 11. It will be noted that the bottom margins 12 of the apertures 11 are preferably straight for fitting snugly against the sole-portion s of the dolls foot y and the upper margins 13 of the apertures 11 are arcuate or stirrup-shaped so as to fit snugly around the instep of the dolls foot f, all as best seen in Figures 2 and 5.

It should be noted that the cardboard or other material from which the strip 6 is made is suflficiently heavy so that the flap-portion 9, when bent out into the position shown in Figure 5, will be relativelyspringy and will tendto snap back toward its original position, thus holding the dolls feet in a fairly strong resilient grip. The doll can be readily placed within the container by pulling the flap-portion 9 outwardly and slipping the dolls feet I into place and the doll can be removed very simply and quickly by the opposite series of movements. When the dolls feet are engaged in the apertures 11, the doll will be supported virtually in all directions, since the doll will be held snugly against the bottom wall 1 and will be supported against sidewise, as well as lengthwise, movement and will, in effect, be held in attractively centered position within the box-bottom A. Furthermore, the strip 6 is relatively narrow and obscure when the box-bottom A is covered so as to avoid any interference with the attractiveness of display.

Provided for telescopically fitting over and around the box-bottom is a rectangular box top Tprovided in its flat top wall with a window-forming aperture w closed by a transparent sheet I formed of any suitable material, such as cellophane, cellulose acetate film, or the like.

.It is also possible to provide a modified form of doll container generally designated A in Figures 6 to 11, inclusive, and comprising a rectangular bottom wall 14 formed of cardboard or other suitable heavy paper stock. The bottom wall 14 is integrally provided along its four margins with oblong-rectangular flaps 15, 16, 17, and 18. The flap 15 is not connected to either of the adjacent 'fiaps 16, 17, but serves as a free-swinging hinge-like rear wall and is, in turn, integrally connected at its top margin'to atop wall 19, which is cutout over ala'rg'e portion of its central area to provide a window-forming aperture 29 covered on the interior with a closure-forming transparent window21 formed of cellophane, cellulose acetate film, or other similar sheet material. The top wall 19 is integrally provided around its two side margins and its forward transverse margin with oblong-rectangular 'fiaps 22, 23, 24, respectively, and the latter is, in turn, integrally provided along its short or lateral margins with square end flaps 25, 25, which are adhesively joined to the inner faces of the flaps 22, 23, along triangular areas, as indicated as a, each of which is bounded by one of the diagonals of the square flaps, so that the flaps 25, 26, are correspondingly free or disconnected {from the respective side-wall forming flaps 22, 23, along complementary triangular areas. Furthermore, the side walls 22, 23, are provided'with diagonalscore lines '27, 28, respectively, so that when the flaps 25, 26, are folded inwardly, the side walls 22, 23, will bend respectively along the score lines 27, 23, to permit the end-wall forming flap 24 to be folded down fiatwise into the position shown inFigure '7.

Similarly, the end-wall forming flap 18, associated with the bottom wall 14, is likewise provided with square flaps 29, 30, similarly joined respectively to the sidewall forming flaps 16, 17 along triangular areas, and the side-wall forming flaps 16, 17, are provided'with diagonal score lines 31, 32, so that the end-Wall forming flap 18 can be collapsed into flatwise position with the sidewall forming flaps 16, 17, folded inwardly therebeneath, substantially as shown in Figure 7.

The flaps 29, 30, are also provided along their bottom margins with short rectilinear notches 33, 34, and the end-wall forming flap 18 is provided, in the region of its hinged connection to the bottom wall, with elongated slots 35, 36. The end-wall forming flap 18 is also integrally provided along its upper margin with a relatively wide anchor flap 37 having a transverse score line 38 spaced outwardly from the upper margin of the end-wall forming flap 18 by a distance equal the height thereof and along such score line 38, the anchor flap 37 is provided with U-shaped tab cuts 39, 40, which are not scored. In other words, the score line 38 is discontinuous across the region of the tab cuts 39, 40, so that when the anchor flap 37 is folded downwardly into the interior of the box or container A, the cardboard stock within the region of the tab cuts 39, 40, will fold downwardly in the provision of ears 41. 42, for retentive engagement within the notches 35, 36, respectively. Similarly, the anchor flap 37 is provided along its lateral margin with short outwardly extending rectilinear ears 43, 44, for retentive engagement within the .notches 33, 34, respectively, of the tabs 29, 30, all as best seen in Figure 8.

When the container A is set up for use, the anchor flap 37 will lie downwardly and inwardly along the inside face of the end-wall forming flap 18 and thence inwardly and upwardly along the upper face of the bottom wall 14, and is centrally provided, in that portion of its area which overlies the bottom wall 14, with two stirrupshaped foot-receiving apertures 45 to fit snugly across and receive the instep portion of the dolls foot, substantially as'shown in Figure-11. Itwill be noted by reference to Figure 11 that the portion of the anchor flap .37 thus engaged retentiv'ely with the dolls foot will be bowed outwardly slightly and yet retained in place by engagement between the tabs 43, 44, and the notches 33, 34, respectively, so that the entire structure will serve firmly to anchor the doll within the container A by means which are ordinarily unintrusive and not readily discerned by inspection of the containers contents through the window 21.

g The container A may be fabricated and collapsed or .folded into a .flat compact arrangement, such as that shown in Figure 7, for purposes of shipment from the container factory to the point of use. When a doll is 'beingpackedtherein,'thecontainer Aniay'be 'very'quickly folded into upright position, substantially as shown in Figure 6. The flaps 25, 26, 29, 30, will fold upwardly and, in effect, engage the top wall 19 and bottom wall 14, respectively, so as to hold the container quite rigidly and securely in upright position. The top wall 19 is sized so that the side-wall forming flaps 22, 23, will fit downwardly over and around the flaps 16, 17, associated with the bottom wall 14, so that the top of the container will, in effect, telescope downwardly upon the bottom thereof into a fully closed position.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the container may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having'thus described my invention, what '1 claim and desire'to secure by Letterspa'tent is:

1. A doll-package comprising a doll having 'legs and forwardly projecting feet, a "box like container of size and-shape'to accommodateandhouse said doll, said container integrally including aback wall, anend wall rigidly disposed at right angles to theback wall andjoined thereto along a substantially straight juncture line, and a Hat flap hingedly secured to the end flap with its hinge-line substantially co-incident with the juncture-line between the back wall and end wall within the iriterior of the container and resiliently biased toward said back wall, said flap having aperture means for encirclingly gripping the feet of the doll.

2. A doll-package comprising a doll having legs and legs and forwardly projecting feet, a box like container of size and shape 'to accommodate and house said doll, said container integrally including aback wall, an end wall rigidly disposed at right angles to the back wall and joined thereto along a-substantially straight juncture line, and a fiat flap hingedly secured'to the end flap with its hinge-line substantially co-incident with the juncture-line between the back wall and end wall within the interior of the container, said flap having aperture-like means for encirclingly gripping the feet of the doll and being resiliently biased toward theback wall so as to lie flatwise thereupon when the container is empty and, when engaged with the dolls feet, to hold the heels of the dolls feet and the back of the dolls legs firmly in place flatwise against the interior face of the back wall.

3. A doll-package comprising a doll having legs and forwardly projecting feet, a box-like container of size and shape to accommodate andhouse said doll, said container integrally including aback wall, an end :wall rigidly disposed at right-angles to the=back wall and joined thereto along a substantially straight juncture-line, and a flatflap hingedly secured to-the .end flap with its hinge-line substantially co-incident with thejuncture-line between the back wall and end wall within the interior of the container and resiliently biased toward the back wall, said flap being provided with a-plurality-of apertures for snugly fitting over and around the toe-portion of the dolls feet.

4. A doll-package comprising a doll having legs and forwardly projecting feet, a box-like container of size and shape to accommodate and-housesaid doll, .said container integrally including a back wall, an :end wall rigidly disposed at right angles to the back wall and joined thereto along asubstantially straight junctureline, and a flat flap hingedlysecured tothe end flap with its hinge-line substantially co-incident with the junctureline between the back wall and end wall within the interior of the containerand resiliently biased toward the back wall, saidflap beingprovided'wi th a;pair of laterally arcuate' apertures having straight substantially coincident bottom margins for snugly fitting over and around the tCCflJGItiOH ot the dollsfeet with the straight-bottom margins cocked against the under surfaces of the dolls feet.

5. A doll-package comprising a doll having legs and forwardly projecting feet, a box-like container of size and shape to accommodate and house said doll, said container integrally including a back wall, an end wall rigidly disposed at right angles to the back wall and joined thereto along a substantially straight juncture-line, and a flat flap hingedly secured to the end flap with its hinge-line substantially co-incident with the juncture-line between the back wall and end wall within the interior of the container, and being resiliently biased toward the back wall so as to lie fiatwise thereupon when the container is empty, said flap being provided with a pair of substantially identical stirrup-shaped apertures for engaging the dolls feet so that the flap is thereby adapted, when engaged with the dolls feet, to hold the heels of the dolls feet and the back of the dolls legs firmly in place fiatwise against the interior face of the back wall.

6. A doll-package comprising a doll having legs and forwardly projecting feet, a box-like container of size and shape to accommodate and house said doll, said container integrally including a box-bottom including a back wall, an end wall rigidly disposed at right angles to the back wall and joined thereto along a substantially straight juncture-line, a flat flap hingedly secured to the end flap with its hinge-line substantially co-incident with the juncture-line between the back wall and end wall within the interior of the container and being resiliently urged to ward the back wall so as to lie fiatwise thereupon when the container is empty, said flap being centrally provided with a pair of substantially identical stirrup-shaped aper tures for engaging the dolls feet so that the flap is thereby adapted, when engaged with the dolls feet, to hold the I heels of the dolls feet and the back of the dolls legs firmly in place fiatwise against the interior face of the back wall, and a transparent windowed box-top sized for telescopically fitted disposition over the box-bottom.

7. A doll-package comprising a doll having legs and forwardly projecting feet, a box-like container of size and shape to accommodate and house said doll, said container integrally including a box-bottom including a back wall, an end wall rigidly disposed at right angles to the back wall and joined thereto along a substantially straight juncture-line, a flat flap hingedly secured to the end flap with its hinge-line substantially co-incident with the juncture-line between the back wall and end wall within the interior of the container, said flap having means for gripping the feet of the doll and being resiliently urged toward the back wall so as to lie fiatwise thereupon when the container is empty, said flap being centrally provided with a pair of identically shaped stirrup-shaped apertures for engaging the dolls feet so that the flap is thereby adapted, when engaged with the dolls feet, to hold the heels of the dolls feet and the back of the dolls legs firmly in place fiatwise against the interior face of the back wall, and a box-top sized for telescopically fitted disposition over the box-bottom, said box-top having a flat top wall provided with a window-forming aperture closed by a sheet of transparent film, the lower margin of the aperture being spaced upwardly and inwardly from the end wall by a distance approximately equal to the width of the fiat flap.

8. A doll-package comprising a doll having legs and forwardly projecting feet, a box-like container of size and shape to accommodate and house said doll, said container integrally including a box-bottom including a back wall, an end wall rigidly disposed at right angles to the back wall and joined thereto along a substantially straight juncture-line, a flat flap hingedly secured to the end flap with its hinge-line substantially co-incident with the juncture-line between the back wall and end wall within the interior of the container, said flap having means for gripping the feet of the doll and being resiliently urged toward the back wall so as to lie fiatwise thereupon when the container'is empty, said fiap being centrally provided with r forwardly projecting feet, a box-like container of size and,

shape to accommodate and house said doll, said container integrally including a rectangular ,back wall hingedly provided along two lateral and one transverse margins respectively with two side walls and an end wall, end flaps formed on the end wall and being connected to the adjacent ends of the side walls, said side walls being provided with angular score lines in the region of the juncture between the side walls and the end flap so that the side walls and end wall may be folded downwardly into fiatwise collapsed position on the back wall, and an anchor flap hingedly connected to the upper longitudinal margin of the end wall, said anchor flap being substantially wider than the end wall and having a fold-line dividing it into two parts, said anchor flap being adapted, when the container is set up in upright position, to extend downwardly along the inside face of the end wall and thence outwardly against the upper face of the back wall with its fold-line substantially co-incident with the score line between the end wall and back wall, said anchor flap being provided with laterally projecting ears for engagement with the end flaps and being provided with stirrup-shaped apertures for retentive engagement with the feet of the doll to be packaged therein.

10. A doll-package comprising a doll having legs and forwardly projecting feet, a box-like container of size and shape to accommodate and house said doll, said container integrally including a rectangular back wall hingedly provided along two lateral and one transverse margins respectively with two side walls and an end wall, end flaps formed on the end wall and being connected to the adjacent ends of the side walls, said side walls being provided with angular score lines in the region of the juncture between the side walls and the end flap so that the side walls and end wall may be folded downwardly into fiatwise collapsed position on the back wall, an anchor flap hingedly connected to the upper longitudinal margin of the end wall, said anchor flap being substantially wider than the end wall and having a fold-line dividing it into two parts, said anchor flap being adapted, when the container is set up in upright position, to extend downwardly along the inside face of the end wall and thence outwardly against the upper face of the back wall with its fold-line substantially co-incident with the score line between the end wall and back wall, said anchor flap being provided with laterally projecting ears for engagement with the end flaps and being provided with stirrup-shaped apertures for retentive engagement with the feet of the doll to be packaged therein, and a rectangular box-top adapted for telescopically fitting down over the side walls and end wall and being hingedly secured to the other transverse margin of the back wall.

11. A doll-package comprising a doll having legs and forwardly projecting feet, a box-like container of size and shape to accommodate and house said doll, said container integrally including a rectangular back wall hingedly provided along two lateral and one transverse margins respectively with two side walls and an end wall, end flaps formed on the end wall and being connected to the adjacent ends of the side Walls, said side walls being provided with angular score lines in the region of the juncture between the side walls and the end flap so that the side walls and end wall may be folded downwardly into fiatwise collapsed position on the back wall, an anchor flap hingedly; connected to the upper longitudinal margin oftheendwall; said-anchorflap being substantially wider thamthe end. wall. andhaving a fold-line dividingv it into two parts,.said anchor flap beingv adapted, when the container is: set up in upright position, to extend downwardly along the, inside face, of the end wall and thenceoutwardly againsttheupper. face oftthe backv wall with its fold-line substantially. co-incident with, the score line between the end: wall and back wall, said anchor flap being provided with laterally projecting ears for. engagement With the end flaps andbeing provided with stirrup-shaped apertures for retentive engagement with the feet ofthe doll to be packaged therein, and a rectangularbox top adapted for tele'seopicallyfitting down over the side walls and end wall,- and being hingedly securedto the other transverse margin of the back wall, said box-top having an apertured top wall provided with a transparent sheet closure extending. across the aperture in the provision of a window.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,405,503 Doering Feb. 7, 1922 1,693,591 Chatillon Dec. 4, 1928 1,886,879 Gross Nov. 8, 1932 2,019,250 Collins Oct. 29, 1935 2,465,169 OConner Mar. 22, 1949 2,623,684 Collura Dec. 30, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 471,028 Great'Britain Aug. 26, 1937 

